Book 3: Fire
by Zaram'delar
Summary: Summer arrives, and the comet is coming. The Avatar must find a firebending teacher, and strike the heart of the Fire Nation itself, before it is too late.
1. Prelude: Aftermath

**Obligatory Disclaimer:** Avatar, and anything remotely associated to it is not mine. If it did, a lot of things would go my way.

A/N: Destiny's Edge...had that refit...and a new name. And the concept of a third faction didn't go as well as planned, so the tune-up. The deletion helped somewhat, though I never intended for that. Ugh.

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**Book 3: Fire**

_Prelude: Aftermath_

* * *

For a hundred years, Ba Sing Se has earned the reputation as the greatest Earth Kingdom stronghold in the land. Behind its massive walls, a hundred and fifty thousand citizens remain untouched by the war, living peacefully, if somewhat in forced ignorance of the dire situation outside, in part of the efforts of Long Feng and the Dai Li. 

Outside the walls, the dire situation was indeed, dire. Fifty meter high stone walls had hidden away from the populace a barren wasteland, a desert where once beautiful stretches of farmlands lay. A hundred years of intermittent battle and siege had left the dozens of villages abandoned, their residents having fled, or been captured. By all means, Ba Sing Se was in the brink of defeat, and only a precious few knew.

As it stood, Ba Sing Se had already fallen to the Fire Nation, and even fewer knew of that. However many did notice a few things out of the ordinary that night: the pillar of water rising from the underground, the weak tremors that could only disturb tea and rattle chinaware in the Jasmine Dragon. A few guards posted outside of the Outer Ring claimed they saw the Avatar's sky bison leaving the city but they had mysteriously vanished by the next day.

Had the guards watched more carefully where the sky bison landed, this whole mess of a story could have been avoided.

It was an abandoned farmhouse that the sky bison landed in, its former inhabitants having disappeared many years ago. It was old and in full danger of collapse, the scars of war clearly visible under the pale moonlight. A few pillars of earth was able to hold in place the derelict structure, where they made camp that night. It was homely, and still contained basic necessities, though lacking in unspoilt food. The owners had apparently left in a huff.

By the time the fire was lit using the old chairs and tables, things had settled down somewhat for the ragtag group, and they had began to make the most of their situation. A small well outside the house worked wonders for their injuries, but unfortunately, some injuries could not be healed.

"How is the Avatar?" Kuei asked, peering curiously at the scar that fanned across the unconcious Avatar's back. Katara swept another band of water across the scar. It seemed to shrink and fade from the water, but returned in full force when the water ran out.

"Not good." Katara shook his head. She laid Aang back to rest on a few blankets they had scavenged in the house, and wiped the sweat off her brow. "The scar runs deep. I don't think even the spirit oasis water could help."

"But he is alive." Kuei affirmed. "That's all we need to know right now."

Katara looked solemnly at Aang, then to a sleeping Toph, and felt herself grow more and more exhausted. The full weight of the day's events bore down on her, and the surge of energy from the battle was quickly running out. She yawned unconsciously. This Kuei noticed, as he handed her one of the old blankets.

"You should sleep now, you've had a rough day." Kuei offered. "I can wait for Sokka by myself." Noticing Katara's worried glance outside, Kuei quickly continued. "He's scavenging the house for supplies. Don't worry about tonight, Bosco and I could keep watch."

Katara smiled, and accepted the blanket with a word of thanks. She curled up next to the other sleepers, taking great care not to disturb the others. In moments, she fell asleep.

Kuei tried to smile, but felt just as exhausted as she was. He gazed sorrowfully at the fire, still contemplating their next moves silently in his head. The Earth Kingdom has fallen under his watch. No, only Ba Sing Se has fallen. There were still others who can carry on the fight. Kuei fed the fire more broken furniture, keeping himself busy long enough until Sokka arrived. There were things they had to discuss.

He looked in passing at the sleeping children, and found himself envious. Asleep, they looked so peaceful and innocent, as if the war had never reched out and pulled them away from their lives. He wished he could sleep that peacefully now, but such luxuries could wait. At least until they were safe and away from Ba Sing Se. The massive outer walls still loomed ominously in the horizon, a continuing reminder of the war that still raged around them.

Kuei was so deep in thought, that he failed to notice Sokka when he entered the barn carrying a small armload of firewood. He tossed a few into the fire to keep it burning, and left the others in the pile of broken furniture they had kept.

"No food." Sokka shook his head, shivering, exhausted of all energy. "It's all barren wasteland everywhere I looked. We have to move to other places by tomorrow."

Sokka sat slowly in front of the fire, holding his hands out to warm himself. "Can't sleep, huh?" He said without looking at Kuei. "That happens to me too. It'll pass."

"Where do we go next?" Kuei asked.

Sokka closed his eyes in response, and blew out a steady sigh. Conflicting emotions passed through his eyes, before he answered. "Chameleon Bay. My dad's fleet is patrolling the waters there. We can't do anything here. Right now, it's best to leave Ba Sing Se to the Fire Nation, at least until we've regrouped."

"I know a few small bases south of Ba Sing Se." Kuei pointed out. "We could stay there."

"Maybe," Sokka considered. "But we can't trust Earth Kingdom soldiers right now. We've seen what happened with the Dai Li."

Kuei had to agree.

* * *

Atop the Earth Kingdom palace, the once silent corridors was thrown into chaos and battle. Dai Li soldiers clashed with palace guards still loyal to the Earth King, and the Palace still rumbled with the distant echoes of earthbending. The highest areas of the palace remained untouched, where the triumphant captors of Ba Sing Se looked on towards the oblivious populace. 

"We have Ba Sing Se in the palm of our hands now, and the Avatar on the run." Azula remarked, a grim smile forming in her lips. "And it's all thanks to you, _Prince_ Zuko."

The exiled prince merely looked away.

"Why so glum Zuzu?" Azula taunted. "I'm sure father will be pleased by your sudden, change of heart. I have sent a messenger to the Fire Nation detailing your loyalty. Your much awaited honor shall be yours again, in time."

With no reply, the Azula continued. "If you're worried about our turncoat uncle Iroh, don't worry, he will be dealt with soon enough. As soon as we have secured the entire city, at least."

Azula laughed at the frigid silence given to her. "That doesn't work on me Zuzu remember?" She smiled cheerfully. "If not that turncoat uncle of ours, then it is the Avatar. If you are still worried about not having him, I can vouch for your loyalty. He will be captured another day. In the meantime, celebrate! The one city our ancestors could only dream of taking is now in our hands, brought down by the very men defending it!"

"Leave me alone, Azula." Zuko finally spoke, annoyed at his sister's antics. "I don't want to be disturbed."

"Suit yourself." Azula turned to leave. "I still have to deal with Ty Lee and Mai. Letting the king escape gave these insects hope..."

Her fading voice was drowned in Zuko's thoughts, as a single memory repeated itself, over and over, and over.

_Azula always lies._

_Azula always lies._

_Azula always lies._

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_A/N: Can you say..remake? Some things I could still scavenge from my computer returned, but I had to slow things down. I don't plan to finish this before season 3 starts, so this will be AU by then. Oh well. I always knew he'd grow his hair out..ha!_

_And...review. I am fully determined to make this a keeper, at all costs.__  
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	2. Chapter 1: Prisoners of Ba Sing Se

**Mandatory Disclaimer: **Avatar is like, totally not mine. It would be a lot more bloodier if it did.

A/N: Chapter 1 goes a complete two thousand words less than the first version, but then I like this one better.

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**Book 3: Fire **

_Chapter 1: Prisoners of Ba Sing Se_

* * *

The darkened prison cell they had placed him was small, eight paces by six. Every step he measured resounded with a solid echo; the old, rusting metal floors creaking from age, and a ceiling dripping rust and tainted water into small puddles underfoot. It was a prison for earthbenders, but it might as well be a prison for him too. The almost airtight prison prevented any serious firebending to occur without Iroh first suffocating. The rusting shackles weren't needed to keep him in after his guards realized that fact.

And Iroh was restless. He played with a small, dancing flame in his hands, the largest flame he could muster, but to no avail. Meditation and breathing exercises only got him so far, as his thoughts would often border on his betrayer: his own nephew, Zuko.

After all, Zuko was raised too weak-willed to stand on his own. Even as a child, he was found lacking and wanting to his father's standards, something that he craves to this day. Even now the faintest hope of regaining any form of redemption in his father's eyes has brought him to betrayal. Even Azula's promises, untrustworthy as they are, was enough to bring down what Iroh had worked on for years.

_Foolishness._

He shook his head, trying to shake the wayward thoughts away. He couldn't blame Zuko for what he is. There was only himself to blame. He hadn't taught the child enough, hadn't pointed Zuko away from the path Ozai took so long ago. He had hoped that Zuko would realize his own mistakes after the Avatar saved him several times over. Indeed, living in Ba Sing Se had done so. But apparently he hasn't reached into Zuko enough. Not even his desperate pleas were enough to stop Zuko from choosing Azula. It was, after all, an offer Zuko could not refuse.

There wasn't any shock, just a sinking feeling of resignation as Zuko chose a side that had scarred him, banished him, and branded him traitor. His only sense of relief was in seeing the limp body of the Avatar being carried away, and the smallest hope that the war was not yet over.

Iroh sighed. There was no use thinking of what was already done. "It's enough to drive a man crazy." He mused, more to reassure himself.

His cell shook from a distant tremor, which Iroh noted with a smile. The battle for Ba Sing Se was far from over. Not by a longshot.

A harsh rap on the metal door interrupted his reverie. "Chow time." An equally harsh voice rasped. A small slot opened in the massive door, spilling the light of the green crystals into his cell. A small tray of food slid through and fell, splashing cold lumps of bread into the greenish waters. The slot closed abruptly, and nothing was heard from the passing guard but footsteps.

Iroh picked a dry piece, and took a bite of the hard bread, and cringed. He set a small flame underneath the bread, hoping the taste would improve. Out of curiosity, he tried the bread swimming in the green waters.

The bread now tasted of a stale form of rust, but then again, any taste is better than none.

The slot opened again, and a bucket was thrown in roughly.

"Now what is this for?" Iroh asked a little curiously.

"Your toilet. Leave it there when you're finished."

"I see," Iroh sighed. "Thank you. I'll be needing that soon."

The metal slot closed in response.

Iroh took a bite of the rust flavored bread and shook his head. What he wouldn't give for a nice hot cup of tea.

Jasmine, preferably.

* * *

Azula tapped lightly on the armrest of the throne, amidst the chaotic bustle of soldiers that rushed in and out with hurriedly written reports. The Palace had finally fallen into her hands hours ago, but now the battle has spilled into the streets of the Upper Ring, and for every soldier that joined her cause, many more remained loyal to the Earth Kingdom. Reports continually streamed in of the foolhardy, yet surprisingly effective resistance the Earth Kingdom is giving. Each report only served to heighten Azula's infuriation.

To Azula's dismay, those who had proclaimed loyalty to her had proven very useless in battling the loyalists, a term the Dai Li now used for the soldiers who fought the new leadership. That incompetence had turned the element of surprise against them when they found the Upper Ring being evacuated, and the loyalists prepared for them. She turned to her side, where a very static Dai Li agent stood guard over the proceedings. The man grunted in response.

Perhaps one of the few Dai Li that intimidated even her, the man stood as second in command when Long Feng was once cultural minister. A long jagged scar ran across his face, partly obscured by a stone mask that covered the left side of his face. What seperated him from all the other Dai Li was the complete lack of emotion in his golden eyes, which also spoke of the Fire Nation blood that flowed within him.

He never told Azula his name. In fact, none of the Dai Li she'd questioned had known the man's name or history, only speaking of his ruthlessness in the battlefield with a mixture of fear and reverence.

So Ty Lee called him Stoney.

"Apt." Azula muttered under her breath with the barest traces of a smile.

"Pardon?"

"Nothing concerning you, whelp." Azula hissed. "Report."

The man nearly jumped at the words, earning a chuckle from the stone-faced Dai Li. "Uh, we've secured a large part of the Upper Ring, but there are two loyalist regiments holding the merchant quarter around the Upper Ring garrison. They've barricaded the entrances to the lower sections of the city."

Azula dismissed the man with a sigh. She did not expect this to happen. The city was supposed to bow to her leadership, and accepted the rule of the Fire Nation without complaint. Instead, the Earth King and the Avatar had escaped, aided by her traitor of an uncle. That display of needless heroics had given the loyalists enough hope and incentive to continue the battle for the city, even if it did become a heap of rubble. Now she was trapped in the Palace, a prisoner of her new domain, at least until the Fire Nation can send reinforcements.

Thank goodness the messengers were able to leave the city before the battle for the city began.

She shook her head. It wouldn't do to show weakness in front of the Dai Li, especially to Stoney. Even if they were on her side, they had betrayed Long Feng and the Earth King in an instant before. Stoney had the Dai Li's loyalty far more than she ever will. And Azula did not want that to happen to her.

It will take at least four days for the runners to reach the War Minister. Three to muster the forces, and another four to reach Ba Sing Se. If they hurry.

Until then, Azula was on her own. She turned sharply at the Dai Li agent.

"Send your men into the Upper Ring. I want them cleared of the loyalists, even if you have to destroy the Upper Ring to do it."

The man looked at her in the eye, and Azula forced herself to not look away. "Prisoners?" He rasped.

"None." Azula replied.

Stoney nodded in approval, and walked away.

* * *

Sleeping was one thing that Zuko was never good at. Nightmares came and went, memories and regrets that he could fight in the day returning with a vengeance in the dead of night. Very often did he find himself waking up in cold sweat in the early hours before dawn, fragments of his nightmares still passing his mind's eye. Tonight was no exception, though he slept far more comfortably today in the luxurious Palace rooms than he had ever had in the past two years.

He walked across the Palace gardens, trying to find solace in the tranquility of the night.

Today had been different. He kept telling himself. Today he made the right choice. Today, he had regained his honor, his birthright. Images of his dreams invaded his thoughts, and his silent mantra was muddled with uncertainty and anxiety. He looked into the deep well, trying to calm himself down.

"I made the right choice." He spoke aloud.

"You have chosen wrong." A voice answered back. It seemed to come from the well.

"I have restored my honor." He stated more boldly this time, fighting the deepest recesses of his mind. A growing dread pulled at his chest, towards the dark well. Something was wrong.

You have lost what little honor you had left.

"I choose my own–" He shouted, but faltered. He cleared his throat, and tried again.

"I am–" His voice was drowned out by screams and shouts, each louder than the previous. Emotions raged within him, foreign and unwanted. He found himself drawn into the waters of the well, unable to move away. He struggled, but he was overwhelmed by fear and terror. And he was pulled into the well, the freezing waters surrounding him in darkness, and shadows seemed to claw at him, bombarding him with voices and memories that he could not block out.

_No matter how things may seem to change, never forget who you are._

_You're the Fire Lord's son. Spreading war and violence and hatred is in your blood._

_Whenever I would imagine the face of the enemy, it was your face._

_Is it your own destiny? Or is it a destiny someone else has tried to force on you?_

_I thought you had changed!_

_You're not a traitor, are you?_

_It's time for you to look inward, and begin asking yourself the big questions. Who are you? And what do you want?_

He screamed.

With a start, he woke up with those words ringing in his head, a familiar sensation of rage and sorrow welling up within him. It was all a dream. Just a dream. Nothing more.

He rubbed his temple silently, trying to clear his mind of his most recent scare. His eyes were closed in concentration, trying to will his inner demons away, like he had always done for years. This time it didn't work, his uncle's disappointed look lingering in his mind a moment longer than the rest.

He felt tremors, and small explosions that came from the distance. He frowned. He had expected the battle to end after the Palace was fully captured, but now he found the battle still raging in the Upper Ring. He thought briefly of the Jasmine Dragon, imagined a raging fire burning within it, before dispelling the thought from his mind.

Zuko got up, and lit a distant candle with a flick of his fingers. The cavernous room was revealed to his eyes, an imperial suite within the palace that Azula had left him in. The clean, regal robes that he wore was stifling; he opened a nearby window to let the air in. He stared at his tortured reflection for a moment.

"I made the right choice." He said to himself out loud. It felt strange and foreign as the words rolled off his tongue. He said it again and again in front of the mirror, clearing his throat every now and then, until the words themselves felt reassuring, if hollow, to his ears.

"I made the right choice."

* * *

A crash. An explosion. And an entire house collapsed under its foundations in a fantastic display of fire and debris, as the Upper Ring of Ba Sing Se was almost literally torn asunder by battle. A wide, paved street now strewn about with boulders of different sizes suddenly turned to sand, disorienting a group of Earthbenders long enough for the stone daggers to fly. The intermittent battles in the palace had quickly spread outwards, and the loyalists fought tooth and nail to keep the Upper Ring from falling to the Dai Li. That the Upper Ring itself was reduced to a wartorn ruin was of no concern to either side.

And there was silence, the momentary halt in battle as the loyalist Earthbenders retreated in the face of the elite bands of Dai Li soldiers. The Upper Ring had become a devastated battlefield, the moonlight giving it that eerie glow made of misery and horrors.

That was when Jin decided to move.

Why she went up to the Upper Ring, she didn't know. Out of impulse maybe, as she heard that her father's regiment was fighting the Dai Li there. Her mother's pleas fell on deaf ears when she had headed toward the chaos, opposite the flow of rich officials and refugees that fled in a rush. Getting through the barricade was easy enough, since most of the soldiers were too distracted with the battle to notice one more girl headed towards certain death.

Jin lightly stepped across the wreckage of homes and stores, making her way in the shadows with a skill she could only gain from living in the Lower Ring for so long. She tried to ignore the moans of pain underneath tons of fallen rock, or the occasional hand or foot that stuck out at odd angles from the burning rubble. She was no earthbender, and as she already decided, there was no time for heroics. Avoiding the Dai Li patrols was hard enough as it was.

She was stopped inside a small, collapsed warehouse, when her foot caught into something. Jin shifted around to free her foot, but a low moan stopped her dead. Jin pulled out one of the precious green crystals that illuminated the Upper Ring at nighttime, and passed it over her foot. She gasped.

It was a bloodied hand, gnarled with age that held tight. An old woman looked at her with a desperate gaze, trying as hard as she could to hold Jin in place. Half her body was crushed under rock and wood, and she looked deathly pale from blood loss. The old woman's eyes darted to a small, dark corner and she moaned pleadingly at her, as if trying to make her look at the corner. She nodded, and let the warm glow of light spill into the crevice.

It was a small girl, barely five years of age, huddled in the corner in terror. The grip on her foot suddenly loosened when Jin spotted the child. Jin checked the pulse, and felt relieved to find it still there. The old woman would die in peace.

She approached the girl, unsure of what to do. The girl sobbed harder, and tried to edge away from her hands however way she could from her little corner. Jin spoke soothing words, trying to calm the child, and kept a wary eye at the entrance of the warehouse for any newcomer.

After what seemed like hours, when the child had calmed down, Jin tried again. The child finally walked to her with unsure steps, allowing Jin to examine her with ease. She had small cuts across her legs and arms, and a large burn mark on her neck, most likely gained from the collapse that killed the old woman. Now if she could just find her father...

She cursed silently. Why did she go here anyway? She had no plan, no idea what she would do when she finds her father. If she finds her father. Heading for the Upper Ring garrison alone was foolhardy enough, by herself, now she had this little girl to watch over. Finally resolving to save the child, she lifted the young girl to her arms and tried to leave the warehouse.

Jin heard whispers and saw shadows moving about. She brought the girl down, and pulled out a small, rusty dagger, something that had helped her in a pinch many times before. She hid in the darkness, waiting to see if the incoming shadows were friend, or foe.

Foe actually.

Jin ducked instinctively as stone bullets flew at her. One bullet grazed her left shoulder, tearing a bloody gash through cloth and skin. Many others dug long furrows in the earth or ricocheted dangerously in the rubble. Jin screamed and ran out of the warehouse, intent on leading the Dai Li as far away from the little girl as possible. She ducked into a burning house, hoping that the flames would deter the attackers.

No good.

The ceiling above her suddenly exploded in a shower of fire and debris. A large beam groaned heavily under the stress, and tore in half under the sheer weight of the ceiling. She rolled away, but could not escape the falling debris as they cascaded down.

She groaned. She tried moving, but she found herself pinned down by the beam. Pain shot through her leg with every struggle. The dim crystalline light revealed her foot encased in jagged rocks, sickly black blood seeping through the cracks.

Jin struggled with the pain, biting her lip in an effort not to cry out. She swam between consciousness and unconsciousness, the darkness threatening to overtake her fading vision at any moment.

Dai Li agents encircled her, one pulling Jin's bloodied head up by the hair in distaste.

"Just a girl." One spat.

"Kill her before she gives away our position." Another hissed.

With a strength and fury that surprised even her, she hurled the dagger at her captors, and clawed at them with all the might she could muster, determined to go down fighting. No good. The dagger was caught in midair, and her fervent attacks served only to amuse the Dai Li.

The desperate attack did help somewhat, as with her dimming sight, she saw shadows that moved from across the street, creeping silently behind the Dai Li that surrounded her.

And the fighting began anew.

It all happened in seconds, and the battle seemed more like a brutal massacre in Jin's eyes. The charge of spears, swords and battlecries felled a surprised Dai Li agent, pulling him down before the others were able to bring a wall of rock to bear the surprise assault. What the loyalists lacked in any formal earthbending, they made up for with numbers and tactics.

Orders were raised, and the attacking group fell into disarray, most retreating back into the shadows, some few staying behind to hammer the wall with sledgehammers. Those few who chose wrong were swept away when the wall dissolved into a flurry of shrapnel that tore them to shreds. The Dai Li gave chase at once, leaving Jin for a much bigger catch.

"Jin!?"

One of the retreating soldiers had looked back momentarily, and in that same moment, Jin thought she saw her father's horrified face, before the Dai Li bore down on the hapless man.

And at last, darkness took her away from the torment.

* * *

A/N: This takes me back. A common idea is that Book 3 ended with the total defeat of the Earth Kingdom, but there should be some sort of resistance, aye? And as we all know, things DO happen while the heroes are asleep. Excuse me while I experiment on the battle scenes. When all they're using is...rocks, trying to describe moving rock gets...very monotonous. Debris? Rock? Dirt? Sand? EH. 

I'll be focusing on wrapping up the events of Book 2 in the next few chapters before I could begin with the story arc, but some things are already in place in the story. Expect some of the minor characters in Ba Sing Se to reappear.

And..review. I don't have to keep telling people that. Review..haha


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